The Greater Manchester mayoral election advanced to a second round of counting on Thursday night as no candidate secured more than 50% of the first-choice votes required for an outright victory. Labour’s Bev Craig and Reform UK’s Sian Astley emerged as the two remaining contenders after the other five candidates were eliminated in the initial count.

The election seeks to fill the position left by Andy Burnham, who vacated the role to become the Prime Minister. Turnout in the election was notably low, with only 25% of eligible voters participating—marking the lowest turnout ever recorded in a Greater Manchester mayoral contest.

Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester City Council, entered the race as the Labour candidate and was considered a frontrunner, with some polls indicating she could win comfortably. However, the distribution of second preference votes under the supplementary vote (SV) system will now determine the final outcome. This system allows voters to indicate a second-choice candidate, which becomes decisive if no one surpasses the 50% threshold on the first count.

Andy Burnham cast his ballot at a polling station in Golborne near Wigan shortly before polls closed. After the initial count, Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell expressed confidence in the party’s campaign efforts, describing it as positive and proactive. She emphasized that Labour, through Craig and Burnham, was offering voters a message of hope and a renewed consideration of the party’s future in the region.

The 2021 mayoral election, also conducted under the SV system, saw Burnham winning decisively in the first round with 67% of the vote. This contrasted with the current election’s tighter margins and reduced voter engagement.

Reform UK’s Sian Astley, as the other candidate proceeding to the next count, represents a challenge to Labour’s dominance in the region. Although official figures on voter sentiment toward Astley were not detailed, polling has previously indicated some level of dissatisfaction with Labour leadership, which may contribute to the support for Reform UK in the race.

With the final result pending, the second round of vote counting will incorporate voters’ second preferences to determine who will succeed Burnham as mayor of Greater Manchester.